Unbeatens Notre Dame, UConn reach NCAA women's Final Four

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame’s quest for perfection will continue at the Final Four.

Jewell Loyd scored 30 points and unbeaten Notre Dame advanced to the Final Four for a fourth straight season with an 88-69 win over Baylor on Monday night.

Natalie Achonwa added 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Irish (36-0), who will face either Louisville or Maryland in the national semifinals on Sunday night in Nashville.

Notre Dame became the sixth school to reach the Final Four in four straight seasons, joining UConn, LSU, Stanford, Louisiana Tech and Tennessee.

The loss ended the brilliant career of Baylor guard Odyssey Sims, who finished this season with 1,054 points — eight short of Jackie Stiles’ NCAA record for a single season. Sims scored 33 points for Baylor (32-5), but had little help on offense.

The win extended Notre Dame’s home winning streak to 28 games. Baylor was the last team to beat the Irish in South Bend — doing so on Dec. 5, 2012 — but that team had 6-foot-8 star Brittney Griner.

The loss ended another superb season for Baylor. The Bears advanced to the regional final for the fourth time in five seasons, a year after they — with Griner — were eliminated in the regional semifinals by Louisville in one of the biggest upsets in women’s basketball history.

Connecticut 69, Texas A&M 54

LINCOLN, Neb. — Music City is the next stop for a Connecticut women’s team that just keeps humming along in search of a record ninth national championship.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis continued her splendid run through the NCAA tournament with 17 points, and UConn advanced to the women’s Final Four for the seventh straight year with a victory against Texas A&M.

The defending national champion Huskies (38-0) won their 44th straight game. Their semifinal opponent Sunday in Nashville will be either Stanford or North Carolina.

Stefanie Dolson, who made her 150th career start to tie the NCAA record, had 14 points and 10 rebounds and blocked a career-high eight shots. Bria Hartley had 14 points, Breanna Stewart added 13 and Moriah Jefferson 11.